What is Classical Chinese Dance?

Established on the foundation of the five-thousand-year-old, vast Chinese culture, classical
Chinese dance is one branch of the arts that uses the body as a performance medium.

I. Characteristics of Classical
Chinese Dance

A.The
movements of classical Chinese dance are rich in their ability to express a variety of
feelings, be it happiness, sorrow, joy, anger, grief, delight, the emotions that come with
parting and reuniting, insanity, infatuation, sickness, tipsiness, solemnity, ignobility,
majesty, as well as civil, military, and other personalities and stories.

B.In
classical Chinese dance, it is meaning that drives the body into motion.
In other words, in this dance form, only when inner feelings drive the body is full
expression achieved.

C.Classical
Chinese dance uses the human body's natural ability; it does not require specifically
training individual muscles. That is, the muscle strength gained naturally through walking,
running, jumping, climbing stairs, riding a bicycle, etc., as well as the upper-body
strength naturally built through physical labor, is further strengthened in the course of
training.

④ Tumbling technique (primarily training in different types of flips and in
foundational skills)

E.In
performing theatrical dance, classical Chinese dance involves a dance acting element. The
acting in dance is different from that of film, drama, opera, traditional Chinese theater
arts, or Broadway musicals. The acting in classical Chinese dance involves coordinating
facial expression with physical movement, which, when merged together, results in an
amplified form of expression.

II. Origins and Historical
Transmission of Classical Chinese Dance

Several
thousand years ago martial arts (wushu)
appeared in China. At the time, many types of performing arts were influenced
by martial arts movements, techniques, and flips. The original forms of many
classical Chinese dance movements were similar to those of martial arts; it
was just that they were performed differently, and what they required was
different. Later, during the five thousand years in which Chinese culture was
being established, classical Chinese dance was being continuously enriched, and
that is what brought forth the “bearing” aspect of classical Chinese dance. And
it is also the source of the style
that classical Chinese dance took on over the process of its being passed down.
The way a person from a particular ethnic group moves contains that group’s own
distinct qualities, so Chinese people’s movements naturally have a Chinese
feel. But actual study and practice have shown that, through specific training
in “bearing” and “form,” people of other ethnicities can also
acquire this feel.

Classical
Chinese dance was
handed down in a variety of ways, with
plays being chief among them. Historically, throughout the different dynasties dances
performed in the imperial court had different techniques and characteristics.
Among the populace, dance spread mainly through imitation, while with street performers it
spread mainly through martial arts
techniques. Before the Qin and Han dynasties (spanning 221 B.C.E. - 220 C.E.),
there were entertainers who performed martial arts routines. And acrobats
mainly used flips. During the Tang and Song dynasties (spanning 618 C.E. - 1279
C.E.), much of the dance and street performance contained early forms and
techniques of classical Chinese dance. Flips, in particular, were used by
practically all street performers. This is yet another example of how, within Chinese
culture more broadly, the techniques of different art forms have influenced one
another.

The concept of Chinese dynasties differs from that of other peoples’ ancient kingdoms.
Replacing a dynasty meant changing over to another dynasty’s distinct set of cultural
traits, as each dynasty has its own emperor, its own people, its own culture. And that is
how, during the historical process of that civilization being established, classical Chinese
dance was constantly enriched and constantly perfected.

Today’s teaching methods did not exist in ancient China. In theater, the older
generation trained apprentices, and so it was passed down from one generation to the next.
From a young age, the student established a formal apprenticeship with a master, and this is
how one became a professional. In imperial court dance, the art was passed down as the young
ladies taught one another; many of the street performance arts were imparted as family
traditions; and martial arts were handed down from ancestors or learned from a master.
Similarly, in Buddhist and Taoist religious practices, after a disciple takes up the robe,
he or she receives the teachings from the master. Modern, systematized teaching methods are
something that started in the first half of the last century.

Since the time when kung fu movies and television shows started coming out, many people have
embellished the movements of martial arts and turned them into something flashy but
impractical, for use in the plots of movies and television shows. These moves look a lot
like dance, but are in fact completely different from classical Chinese dance. Fundamentally
speaking:

A.
In classical Chinese dance, the
expressiveness of the body is primary, whereas in martial arts, fast and explosive
completion of movement is primary. The faster the martial arts, the more it achieves
the goal.

B.
Classical
Chinese dance integrates the movement of the body with inner bearing.

C.
Classical Chinese
dance is a language of the body. In order to depict a character or story to its
fullest extent, the body needs to extend and spread to the fullest extent. That
is why long legs are the most basic criterion in selecting dance students. Using
this kind of extension in martial arts combat would leave one vulnerable.

E. Martial
arts
does not have the “bearing” required in classical Chinese dance.

IV. The Influence of Classical Chinese
Dance on Other Dance Forms and Physical Skills

With China’s so-called “Reform and Opening Up” (beginning in the late
1970s), classical Chinese dance’s techniques and flips suddenly appeared on the world
stage. Notably,
its techniques and flips sent shockwaves through the international dance
community. Ballet thus incorporated some of the techniques of classical Chinese
dance, and modern ballet has incorporated classical Chinese dance techniques on
an even larger scale. However, they do not understand the required standards
for these techniques and have used them in a very nonstandard way. What is
known as street dance has an even shallower understanding of the techniques’
requirements and standards and has, as a result, taken classical Chinese dance
and distorted it.

Classical Chinese dance
has also had a tremendous influence on athletics. Before the 1970s, training in
rhythmic gymnastics, the balance beam, and bars involved only simple ballet
movements and physical training. Then, China’s gymnastics teams took classical
Chinese dance techniques and flips, and used them on a large scale in
gymnastics events. As soon as these techniques appeared in international
competitions of the 1970s, gymnasts worldwide were astonished. Some
Chinese contestants managed to win five all-around gold medals at once. Gymnasts
around the world started learning the techniques and flips of classical Chinese
dance and, overnight, gymnastics competition was pushed to a higher level of
technical skill.

In fact, many different dance forms, physical arts, and sports around the world have adopted
the techniques and flips of classical Chinese dance. Some
copy them a little better, while others are quite subpar, inaccurate,
nonstandard, and even unsightly, and this has distorted the exquisite culture
of five thousand years.

These are the basic things to know about classical Chinese dance.

Li Hongzhi

July 5, 2013

Chinese dance is at the heart of what Shen Yun does. Known for its incredible flips and spins, and its gentle elegance, it is one of the most rigorous and expressive art forms in the world.

An art form

tempered over

thousands of years

Classical Chinese dance
has helped preserve 5,000 years of Chinese culture. Built on traditional aesthetics, it was once passed down among the people, in imperial courts, and through ancient plays. Over thousands of years, it was constantly refined, eventually developing into the vast and distinctly Chinese dance form we know today.
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Classical Chinese dance has its own set of training methods in basic skills and has strict training in both physical expression and specific postures. It also involves learning combinations of leaps, turns, flips, spins, and other aerial and tumbling techniques. It is a vast and independent system of dance.

China’s deep cultural traditions are contained in classical Chinese dance, allowing its movements to be richly expressive, such that the personalities and feelings of characters can be portrayed with unparalleled clarity. It is therefore capable of depicting scenes from any time period, whether ancient or modern, Eastern or Western, in a strikingly vivid way.

Left: Angelia Wang, principal dancer

Classical chinese dance

Folk &

ethnic dance

THE MANY DISTINCTIVE ethnic groups within China and around her borders provide a wonderful array of material from which to choreograph and compose. These dances might whisk you away to the plains of Tibet, the shores of a Dai village, or the sprawling plains of Mongolia.

Left: Principal dancer Chelsea Cai, with Shen Yun New York company, in The Tibetan Dance of Praise from 2010.

STORY-BASED dance

THESE DANCES GIVE dramatic portrayal to the cherished stories of past and present. Their figures embody the most exalted virtues of Chinese civilization, and convey a message or moral that is still relevant in our day. Many have inspired people for generations, such as the tales of heroine Mulan and general Yue Fei.

Interact with Shen Yun:

Shen Yun Performing Arts is the world's premier classical Chinese dance and music company, established in New York in 2006. It performs classical Chinese dance, ethnic and folk dance, and story-based dance, with orchestral accompaniment and solo performers.
For 5,000 years, divine culture flourished in the land of China. Through breathtaking music and dance, Shen Yun is reviving this glorious culture. Shen Yun, or 神韻, can be translated as: “The beauty of divine beings dancing.”

Following the lead taken by some media and other organizations, we are now also referring to the coronavirus as "the CCP virus," as it is the Chinese Communist Party's mismanagement and cover-up that has led to the global pandemic.